As you know, from my last post, I had a couple days of "adjustment" and dealing with the baby blues. I'm happy to report, that I am doing really well! I discovered that there are 4-5 things that I need every single day, in order for me to be a good mom & wife.
- Get Dressed! Wash My Face! Brush My Teeth!
- Take a Nap, if possible (not always possible with 2 kids now)
- Go For a Walk! (even if it's only 5 minutes)
- Soak in a Lavender Salt Bath (for at least 15 minutes)
- Eat Right!
----
It's taken some time to figure out when I have time to feed myself & how to be able to eat healthy foods at regular intervals. It, too, was some adjusting, but I think we're getting the hang of things. My husband helps me cook recipes in the evening for dinner & then I heat up the leftovers for lunch. Snacks are easy-to-eat items like fruit & nut butter, hummus & pita chips, etc. Breakfast is my regular Breakfast Protein Shake - very healthy & fast.
Here are some foods we've been enjoying, since coming home from the hospital:
For a complete meal, serve with:
-Milk
-Fruit
-Vegetable (optional)
For a complete meal, serve with:
-Milk OR Fruit
-Vegetable (optional)
Note:
Instead of Italian Bread, we used Great Harvest Dakota Bread. Instead of lettuce leaves, we used spinach leaves. We used Trader Joe's Tuscan Italian Dressing, which was to die for! We omitted the Panko Bread Crumbs. Instead of brushing the outside of the bread w/the dressing, we drizzled it on the inside of the bread, which caused it to ooze out w/each bite. Yum!
Note: We added shredded hormone-free, grass-fed chicken to our Enchilada's. If you do this, the recipe is no longer Vegan.
Ridiculously Good Peanut Butter Balls
12 oz crunchy peanut butter
approximately 6 pinches stevia powder
2 cups arrowroot powder
1.5 sticks of butter
In a food processor, blend together the arrowroot powder & stevia powder. Start w/a few pinches of stevia & add more pinches, to taste...it should resemble powdered sugar, in flavor. Mix all ingredients together except the white chocolate. Roll into balls. You can make large balls, like mine above (we used a large ice cream scoop to form the balls) or you can make bite-size balls. Next time, I think I'd prefer the bite-size balls, because I never eat a full large ball in one sitting. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, according to package directions. Place wax paper on a cookie sheet. Roll the balls in the melted chocolate & place on wax paper. Place in the freezer until chocolate is hard. Then move to the fridge in an air-tight container. Enjoy!
----
I was inspired by Tina's Body After Baby posts & have decided to set fitness goals for myself. Having a 9-month period where I was unable to do any exercise (besides walking), really made me realize how much I really do enjoy lots of different forms of exercise and want to make sure that fitness is a priority to me. So, I'll be starting my own "Body After Baby" of sorts. Watch for a new "Fitness" tab (currently "Running" tab) where I'll be combining all my fitness efforts, not just running.
For now, I'm just eating healthy & taking my daily walk. I can't do much more, since my abdominal muscles are still separated.
Here's us on a walk to the park, trying out the Moby Wrap for the first time:
And here's the beginning of my post-baby body progress:
 |
| 5 Days Post-Baby Wt Lost since Delivery: 14 lbs |
 |
| 8 Days Post-Baby Wt Lost since Delivery: 21 lbs |
Here's the plan:
Nutrition-wise not much has changed. I have cut out most dairy products, since I know that dairy can cause issues when breast-feeding. I may, at some point, need to go gluten-free as well, since my baby girl is already having some GI issues. But, we'll see what the Kinesiologist says. I am slowly working my way back to The Endo Diet. I will still probably keep hormone-free, grass-fed white meats in my diet, but eliminate all red meat. I have been a bit relaxed on allowing some honey back into my diet, mainly for my lemon/honey hot waters, since I'm still battling the residual effects of Bronchitis. I will be eliminating it again and sticking only with my stevia & agave nectar. I'm still avoiding all soy & corn. I will, of course, be re-tested for all foods, once my hormone levels start to return back to normal. The reality is: I still have endometriosis, PCOS & an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Eating this way is a lifestyle for me, not a diet.
Fitness-wise I will be slowly working up to a regular workout routine. For now, breast-feeding is my main form of burning calories!
1 Week Post-Partum: slow to moderate walking everyday (or most days) as I feel up to it strength-wise
4 Weeks Post-Partum: begin doing pelvic tilts & leg slides and gradually increasing to crunches and/or sit-ups, as my abdominal gap starts to close.
6 Weeks Post-Partum: start introducing cardio classes again (such as Zumba/Kickboxing/etc) and begin the C25K running program (as my midwife allows).
3 months Post-Partum: start introducing toning/stretching classes again (such as Yoga)
5 months Post-Partum: start Jillian Michaels' circuit training
I'd like to make a disclaimer that this plan can change at any point in time. (That goes for what I'm eating, too.) I may move things up or later on this list, depending on my body and on how I feel. For instance, walking to the park the other day with baby in the Moby Wrap was too much for my body at this point, so I'll stick to pushing her in the stroller for now. The key is to gradually add things back in and to only do the things which I enjoy. If any of these things starts to feel like a "have to" then I'll back off on it.
